"Keep it down and don’t bother your sister,"
"I know," a pair of fox-like eyes glared at him, Zhao Changsheng sat down against the shelf, ears perked up to listen to the noises inside.
Although the virus had successfully fused, Su Mo developed a fever.
Lu Chen spread out a sleeping bag on the floor, and she tossed and turned restlessly inside it, drenched in sweat, moaning unconsciously.
He placed a towel wrapped around ice cubes on her head, then picked her up along with the sleeping bag and set her on his lap, gently releasing cool air from his body.
He gave her several sips of healing tea until the bottle was empty, then Su Mo finally became still.
She lay quietly in his arms, a faint golden light emanating from her body.
It was the look of leveling up.
Lu Chen’s hard features softened; he held her with anticipation, not moving an inch as the golden glow illuminated the convenience store through the shelves.
Zhao Changsheng immediately peeked through the gap, his voice filled with surprise, "My Momo is leveling up!"
The guardian Jianxiong dragged her out, "Don’t disturb my sister, sit quietly by the door."
"Tsk," Zhao Changsheng slapped Jianxiong’s hand away, sat down sulkily by the door, her gaze constantly darting towards the direction of the shelves, attentive to the movements inside.
Li Qian’s spiritual power was on constant alert for any disturbances outside, as it was crucial not to let anything go wrong at this moment.
Su Mo entered a marvelous state where, after the virus was devoured by green particles, it gradually turned into a golden mass.
They circled within her body before all converging toward her lower abdomen, forming an energy group that would become her very own superpower.
All of Su Mo’s wounds healed up in Lu Chen’s eyes, and as time trickled by, her eyes suddenly flew open, and the golden light dispersed in an instant.
Su Mo looked around in confusion, then lifted her head slightly and found herself looking into those deep blue eyes as vast as the starry sea.
"Lu... Chen," her voice was somewhat hoarse.
The man’s eyes seemed as if they wanted to bore a hole into her,
"Why are you making that face?" Her pale lips pouted, dissatisfied, "You almost lost me."
All at once, he hugged her tightly, burying his head in her neck, inhaling deeply, then slowly let go.
"You’re still alive."
Su Mo wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but she felt something wet on her neck; she wrapped her arms around his head, her heart melting completely, "I’m just fine."
He raised his head from her neck, those bloodshot, crimson phoenix eyes made Su Mo stutter, flustered she supported his face to explain, "I’m really all better now, after leveling up my superpower my wounds have all healed! Look!"
She waved her hand in front of him; her arm was unmarked, then she stretched out her leg to point at the thigh that had been scratched by a zombie, which too was tenderly smooth.
Lu Chen simply watched her talk to herself for a while until Su Mo began to shrink back, trying to get off of him. That’s when he pulled her back and lifted her chin, his thin lips coming down on hers.
Su Mo’s body stiffened, her hands clutching at his chest, eyes widening in surprise. Was he...
He left her lips, saying softly in her ear, "Focus."
The magnetic quality of his voice sent chills through the girl; before she had a chance to speak, her mouth was sealed again.
"Why did you kiss me?" Su Mo boldly touched the man’s handsome face and gave it a good pinch.
Lu Chen’s eyes were deep as he caressed her face, "I’ve been wanting to."
Su Mo’s face turned crimson, and she poked his chest, "Love should be shouted out loud, what does a forced kiss count for?"
Lu Chen snatched that restless hand once more and pulled her into a tight hug, the corners of his mouth curving upward.
"Big Brother? Sister Mengyao woke up?"
Including Jianxiong, four people squatting outside the shelf perked up their eight ears.
Su Mo’s smile froze instantly, and her face turned so red she almost seemed to be smoking. She asked with a trembling voice, "Did they all hear it..?"
"Mhm," the man’s face grew more amused, softening altogether as he tucked her stray hair behind her ear. "Want to meet them?"
"No," she buried her head back without a second thought and resumed the ostrich strategy.
"Momo! Are you being bullied by that stinky man? I’m coming in to check!" Zhao Changsheng said jealously from outside. She tried to pull the shelf away to peek inside but was seized by Jianxiong, who wrapped his arm around her neck and dragged her back.
"A couple’s business is none of your concern, come and watch the door with me," Jianxiong said sharply.
"I’m going to smack you to death," Zhao Changsheng retorted, dragged to the door, where the two started to squabble.
Smiling warmly, Su Niang patted Li Qian on the hand and said kindly, "It’s all right, it’s all right."
As the noise from outside died down, Su Mo lifted her head again, and that’s when she noticed the bright red teeth marks on Lu Chen’s arm.
She took his hand and said with concern, "Did I bite you?"
"Mhm," the man drew back his hand, patting the arm he held her with and murmured softly, "Go back to sleep."
"What about the Biluochun Tea, is there any left? Have some," she insisted, tugging his hand again. "The flesh is all bitten off by me, why didn’t you let go?"
"Afraid you’d bite your tongue in a suicide attempt," he replied.
"..." It actually seemed possible, Su Mo said, getting a bottle of Biluochun Tea from her System Bag and handed it to him, "Drinking this will heal you faster."
Holding her, the man took the bottle and examined it for a moment before suddenly asking, "Do you know how I fed you just now?"
"Huh?" Su Mo looked up at him, puzzled.
Lu Chen opened the bottle and took a big gulp, then pressed his thin lips against hers once more.
The taste was just as he imagined, damnably sweet.
Feeling the fabric of Lu Chen’s shirt almost tearing under her grasp, Su Mo remembered flashes of what had happened in the car, bringing back certain events to her.
Blushing as she sat in his embrace, she heard the strong and powerful heartbeat of the man; "Did you successfully advance to the next level?"
"Mhm, Level 3," the man said softly, stroking her hair.
"You skipped a level!" Su Mo exclaimed in surprise.
Su Mo was truly happy for him, but thinking of the prison scene, her smile faded: "What happened to Chu Mengyao afterward?"
That woman, she swore she would kill her.
"Dead," Lu Chen said casually, continuing to run his fingers through her hair and murmured, "Let there be no next time. They are not worth the risk."
Snuggling against him, Su Mo sighed, "I only wanted to buy some time for you guys; who knew Chu Mengyao would suddenly show up."
"Thanks to her, I have a superpower now," she smiled, realizing she might not have made it if the System hadn’t been involved.
Lu Chen didn’t say a word, just quietly held her in his embrace.
"Is the prison completely gone now?" Su Mo’s tone was somewhat low, and even though she already had an idea, she still wanted to ask...